10/20/17 Nice was Nice

Very nice to trip to Nice.  I don't think I'll EVER get tired of that joke!

We were able to catch the train at the Aix TGV station.  Very convenient.  A fifteen minute walk from our apartment to the bus station, and then another fifteen minute bus trip to the station.

Two-and-a-half hours later and - voila! - we are in Nice!

Our hotel was on the edge of the old town on the Cours Saleya, right next to the Palais de Justice Square where all Nice seems to gather after dark.

We secured a "Last Minute Hotel Booking" - a real find - and had a beautiful, large, and very comfortable suite. Nespresso coffee machine a BIG plus!

We have done the last minute booking thing a few times and find it seems to work quite well.  It is very good for booking same-day reservations, but pretty good a day or two in advance.  Works the usual way - if a hotel has empty rooms, "Last Minute Booking" sells them for a discount with a non-refundable payment. We haven't been disappointed yet!

We fell in love with Nice!  It is a beautiful city with everything you could ask for.  Almost more Italian than French. In any case, a great mixture of both.  The old town is wonderful.  It covers a triangular-shaped area, about 300 yards on all three sides, but seems much larger due to the many narrow, winding (pedestrian only) streets.  It's fascinating to walk through and no fear of getting lost! You always seem to end up at one of the beautiful squares.

Place Garibaldi:

The new tram system covers about 5 miles, roughly following the sea and ending quite close to the train station.  There are a total of 21 stops, and trains run about every 7 minutes. (Yes - we timed it!).  From the people we spoke with, it has been a wonderful addition to the city, cutting down traffic and both noise and air pollution.  The trains run as smooth as glass and are silent other than the "clang clang" as it approaches.  An additional line connecting to the central business district and the airport (Yay!) are under construction.  They say completion this year - but we all know how long it took the light rail to get up and running to the airport in Denver!  Totally worth the wait!

Castle Hill is the site of a very large fortification on the hill above Nice.  The castle is pretty much demolished but the views from the top are magnificent.  To get there you can take the staircase, the winding walkway, or the "Ascenseur" - a lovely name for a small metal box that takes you ever so slowly to the top, with a delightfully long pause before the doors finally open.  A claustrophobe's nightmare! At the top there are several play areas for children, a tea shop, and a Kodak moment at every turn.

Beach from above:

The Promenade des Anglais is a wide walkway that covers a little over four miles along the seashore. It is really beautiful and how can you beat the view? There is a designated lane for bicyclists and rollerbladers.

If you look behind me in this next picture, you can see that the beach is "pebbled" as they call it.  No soft white sand as in St. Tropez, but still very nice. Beach shoes are for sale everywhere so apparently - people adapt and cope.  The beaches are very crowded in the Summer months, but at this time of the year, a few swimmers and quite a few sunbathers too.

Every little bit, there is a private beach club with restaurant and bar.  You can rent an umbrella and chairs for the day.  Waiters patrol constantly and are there to bring you drinks and snacks.  The restaurants are all open air, of course, but seating under a large awning is also available.  It's a very civilized way to spend a day at the beach.

Every day is market day in Nice.  Art....

and flowers..

flowers...

and more flowers:

Max's BD!!!!!

My favorite photographer:

This accordion player was hooked up to a sound system.  Sounded great!

We had lunch at Place Garibaldi:

Garibaldi himself:

This is the little sightseeing train.  There is one in every town and I just love them.  Didn't have time to do this one, but maybe next visit.

The view from the boardwalk toward town:

Just three blocks from the beach is the Garden Albert I.  It is a beautiful park, four (very long) blocks long, filled with benches, chairs, and marine-themed playgrounds for the kids.

The water in this area pops up randomly.  You can take a chance and walk through - we saw one elderly lady in a wheelchair being pushed through by her granddaughter - and children run and scooter through in their bathing suits.  What fun!

Whales...

and an octopus or two.

Beautiful building, right?  So ornate! Weeeelllll - all the decorations on this building are trompe l'oeil! They did any amazing job.  Took us quite a while to catch on.

Place Massena - home to Galleries Lafayette (oh boy!) in the Nice Etoile area.  My personal favorite.

For Branaugh: (Really cute shop! Little guy in window looks like Sammy)

Our ever-present guardians:

Our pre-lunch, lunch:  galettes and cider...

10/16/17 Sunday in Aix

Quiet day yesterday.  John went to the gym and on the way home brought me these from the flower market:

John's new favorite app - it transforms any photo into a painting. Fun!

We attended the Sunday afternoon concert at St. Jean de Malte at 3:30 pm.  The pastor of this Church, Frere Daniel Bourgeois, spent some time in Denver many years ago.  A small world! He is all about the music and sings with this choral group as well as directing the choir at Church.

I would like to note that the Church has gone through a major renovation in the past two years.  The windows and walls shown in this photo were so darkened that walking inside was like entering a cave.  Now - voila! - everything is bright and beautiful!  We were so astounded to see the change.  They are working on the second phase - the facade - now, and the bell tower is surrounded by scaffolding and netting.  I hope we get to see it when it is complete.

The musicians in this first group played the flute with one hand, and the drum with the other.  We had never encountered this and when we "googled" it, found it to be particular to Aix.

The Provencal choral group performed next.  The women were all in traditional costume.

The fifth figure in from the right (green vest) is Father Bourgeois!

Tomorrow we are taking the train to Nice - about 2.5 hours east - to spend the night and walk amongst the rich and famous on the Riviera.  Truth be told - the rich (mostly Russian) and famous are well-insulated from the "regular" population.  We are content to be part of the hoi polloi and look forward to seeing the sea and and breathing the fresh sea air.